Daringmom Part 5

>This flying boat has become more of a home to you in the last day and half than your home back in equestria,

>However little either of you ate or slept, every moment felt real now.

>It sometimes got pretty cold up on deck, and at the first shiver Mom got you your own jacket.

>''Aww, don't you look cute!'' She teased,

>She's probably waited for that moment for awhile now.

>the jacket had no wing holes at first, and the ones you made chafed for awhile.

>Meh, worth it.

>Over this time, she'd taught you how to fly the ship better in case of an emergency,

>First mate Anon, reporting for duty.

>She also mentioned that if you meet anyone else from here on out, you should use her alias, Darianne.

>You couldn't help but ask if fake names are necessary,

>''Best be safe than sorry.'' She shrugged, it obviously wasn't much of a big deal.

>The ship followed the coastline for the majority of the journey, so there was an always some kind of variety to look at.

>Mom told you stories of her adventures she never wanted to tell you about before,

>Old enemies,

>Old friends,

>She gave you a run-down of things you have to watch out for around these parts, but it was all pretty hard to process.

I guess it's easier to learn though experience, huh?

>''Heh, that's the spirit, son. Don't live by that ideal too hard, not everyone's as lucky as me.''

>A few long moments passed as an ash cloud could be seen on the horizon,

>That must be that Volcano mom talked about.

>''Did I mention how awesome volanoes-''

Could he be my dad?

>You had to ask eventually,

>The question was eating the inside of your skull.

>''What? Do you mean Leo?''

>She looked disgusted,

>''Of course not! I mean, well, it's impossible.''

Sorry mom,

He said I reminded of him, that bugged me.

>''Don't worry, I would have aborted you if there was any chance you could be his.''

Aborted? What's that?

>''Nevermind...''

What about that Pegasus that gave us the ship? Or your friend Adam?

>''Damn you're persistant. Well, there's no way it's Adam, that's for sure.''

And that other guy?

>''Well, come on! are you going to ask about every colt we meet?''

>She'd turned around and was giving you this look,

>It wasn't angry, just exasperated

>''I thought we agreed it's better we don't find that one out.''

>She made it seem like you were dwelling on some kind of ancient fact...

>well, you kinda were.

Sorry mom, I just figured I'd ask.

>''Sweetie, I'll never be angry at you for being disquisitive.''

What's that?

>''It's kinda like being being curious, but more-''

No, mom, That!

>You gesture over shoulder and her head whips around,

>at some point you'd passed over onto land, and she slowed the ship down.

>''Some kind of... birds? Never seen them around these parts before.'' She was squinting and leaning over the helm,

I thought you knew everything, mom.

>''You'd be surprised how often I get this. Equestria is a boring place compared to out here.''

>They were closing alot faster than you thought,

>''Hm, doesn't look like they're stopping for us. Don't worry, the balloon should be bird-proof,''

>''You might wanna hit the deck.''

>She's still standing when you take cover behind the front border of the helm deck,

>Still standing,

>She's smiling now,

>What's she looking at?

Mom?

>She suddenly does a commando dive to land next to you, as soon as the first birds start flooding the space above you.

>Her hands are on her head and she's laughing.

>''Those things look ferocious!''

Show off.

>The flock looks like it's just about cleared, and the balloon is still intact,

>She gets up first, still laughing a bit.

>She offers you a helping hoof as you snap back to reality,

>You take it, but she's not pulling you up,

>She's squinting over the helm again,

What's up, mom?

>''There's one more, but it's... ''

>You scramble to your hooves yourself,

>''Oh shit, take the helm and bring us up to speed!''

>She's below deck, noisily rummaging through stuff.

>At the helm, you work to get the ship moving forwards, sneaking a peak at whatever mom was looking at.

>There was another bird on the horizon, but it was far away.

>But you could tell it was big, very big.

>It looked like it was almost half as big as the ship.

>Mom appeared on the prow deck with some kind of tube in her hands,

>You're not sure, but it had some kind of latch on it.

>She's positioning it over the bow of the ship,

>The creature is closing on you quickly, and you look to mom for advice,

>Her back is turned to you as she yells,

>''Full speed ahead!''

>It opens it's maw like it's screaming, and you see rows of razor sharp fangs lining it's beak.

>Then the shriek hits you,

>It only lasted a second, but it sounded like it could break glass,

>You would've flinched, but you just realized what Mom said.

Ahead?

As in, towards that thing?

>''Just do it! When I say so, bank hard to port like I showed you!''

>You're through arguing with her tactics.

>You're getting a closer look at the creature as it rockets for your mom, who's practically leaning over the prow with that thing in both hooves,

>It has four legs and wings like a dragon, but it's beaked and is covered with night black feathers.

>It's only about a hundred feet away now, and at the speed you're both going, you're going to collide any second.

>''Now!''

>You spin the wheel and pull the flap control, as you hear another ear shattering sound,

>That thing mom had looked like it exploded, as it sent a massive projectile into the creature's face,

>It sent blood spattering all over the bow and your mom,

>The knockback sent mom flying into the central structure that held the keel, just as the ship tilted to the left and the nose lifted high enough to block that monstrosity from your sight.

>Just in time for it to deflect off the front  hull headfirst, sending the ship into a dangerous tilt,

>Chunks fly away from the ship to scatter in the forest,

>You dash away from the control, the wheels spinning as the ship slowly rights itself,

>Mom's pretty dazed, but she's already gathering her wits and the tube thing,

Are you alright mom?

>''We're not out of the woods yet, bank us starboard like before!''

>She's loading a small canister into the tube, and in a few seconds is readying it at the starboard central border,

>You leap for the controls and bank the ship again, leaning over the dash in your haste to follow mom's orders.

>In your peripheral vision, you see the creature coming for you again, this time from the side,

>You brace yourself as hard as you can while hanging over the control panel, just in time to hear her fire that thing again.

>The ship is violently rocked, and you shut your eyes for a second,

>But the rocking doesnt stop, and the ship convulses again, throwing you onto the front deck.

>Looking back didn't calm your nerves as much as you thought it would,

>The monster is clinging to the starboard side of the ship, vying for a grip with its front claws on the deck, its hind claws scrabling at the side hull.

>It's face is a meaty mess, and it obviousy can't see much as it snaps it's jaw back and forth,

>And Mom's clinging to the central structure for dear life, not 5 feet out of reach from it's fangs.

>One of those claws slashes the fabric of the balloon, and you start losing altitude,

>It won't be long before one of those claws gets her,

>You leap over to the other side of the central structure, reaching around to try and pull her out of danger,

>It's no use, she's already doing everything she can to not get eaten,

>The ship shakes again as that thing drags itself another few feet onto the deck, eyes glowing red with primordial rage,

>and you get idea,

You'd better hold on tight mom!

>You hope she heard you and acted fast, as you tear off the latch that holds the keel in place,

>The ship lurches downwards as the half-ton slab of led deploys out the base of the craft,

>it reveals a little red tag,

>The one thing mom told you never to pull,

>You pull it.

>The sudden shift as the keel deployed gave the creature a better footing, and it raised its claw to strike right at mom,

>You hear a mechanism snap, and a chord snaps under weight, whipping you across the face,

>Next thing you know, the ship flings itself back up a few feet, sending you to the deck,

>As you look up, the creature was thrown off balance and to the floor as well,

>It's claws grappled for a hold, but it quickly slid off the edge and out of sight, taking most of the starboard hull with it in pieces.

>As it fell off, it's flailing ripped the balloon canvas to shreds, and you started losing altitude at an alarming pace,

>All you could do was call out to Mom as you feel the treetops crunch against the bottom of the ship,

>You wanted to crane your neck around to see if she was still there, but you'd surely lose your grip.

>You catch a glimpse of the monster flying alongside you as the treeline eclipses your view of the sky,

>The forest was way too dense for it to follow you in, given you both survive the crash first.

>You close your eyes and clench your teeth as you grip what's left of the structure, as the majority of the top of the ship gets torn away and lost in the foliage,

>Then you're practically falling.

>All you can hear for the next few minutes is your rasping breaths and the sounds of branches falling back into position.

>You really have no idea how you survived the crash,

>You don't care now, you have to find Mom.

>The deck is at a dangerous tilt, and you bring yourself up on shaky joints,

>You peer around at what's left of the deck, fearing the worst.

Mom?

>No response, and you can't see her anywhere.

Mom!

>You scramble around on deck, looking in all the strangest places in desperation,

>Losing your grip, you fall to your knees and slide downwards a bit,

>No, she couldn't have fallen off in the crash!

>She couldn't have fallen off of a ship that a massive feathered, dragon thingy couldn't hold on to...

>What a stupid idea, you knew it would end badly!

>You feel a knot well up in your throat,

>As you hear a twig snap somewhere behind you!

>''Dear god, are we alive?''

Sweet Celestia, mom, you're alive!

>You're not sure where it came from,

>She groans loudly,

>''Down here!''

>You lean over what little remains of the starboard side of the ship, and mom's laying spread out in the dirt.

>As soon as you see her you jump down to meet her,

>You're so eager to be next to her you forget to fly down,

>Dirt never tasted so sweet.

>You get up and collapse again next to her.

I was afraid my stunt had gotten you killed,

>''Well, as far as I'm willing to think about it, it saved our lives. Nicely done.''

>You spent the next several minutes laying in the dirt recovering,

>Mom was the first to speak,

>''Well, that turned out better than expected.''

>You groan and try to lift yourself off the ground, to no avail.

What do you mean? We aren't royally screwed?

>''All I was saying is it went better than expected, and I always expect the worst.''

>''Worst case was we both get eaten and our remains are never found, so I think this turned out quite nicely.''

Well when you put it that way...

>You reach out and wrap your hoof around her, giving a sort of quasi hug.

>''Shame about the ship though, not even three days.''

>''That's gotta be a new record.''